Research Paper for Abnormal Psychology

1. Running head: TOURETTE'S SYNDROME
1 Rago
Tourette's Syndrome
Rachel Rago
Pasco-Hernando State College

2. TOURETTE'S SYNDROME 2
ABSTRACT
This paper informs of the neurological disorder Tourette’s syndrome. It shares research with the
effects of having Tourette’s in the workforce. It also informs about the different types of
treatment that there are for Tourette’s syndrome. It also informs about the mental illnesses that
Tourette’s syndrome could possibly be diagnosed as. There's also information of the effects of
having tourettes as a child and growing up with the disorder.

3. TOURETTE'S SYNDROME 3
Every child has a tendency to act out and be loud and annoying from time to time
because its kids being kids. What happens when the child can't control these acts and is
constantly doing them? The child probably has Tourette Syndrome. Tourette's syndrome is not a
bad thing necessarily, because it does not cause harm to the child or adult who has it physically.
Mentally and emotionally it does because of bullying and insecurities of the person who has
Tourettes. Tourettes is an almost harmless disorder physically to a person but mentally and
emotionally it affects them a great deal.
Tourette's Syndrome is a nervous system disorder that has the person affected making
uncontrollable movements and sounds which are called tics. Tourettes is normally harmless to
the person. The affected areas of the brain are the Basal Ganglia, Cerebellum, and the Thalamus,
the Basal Ganglia helps the body with movement and Tourettes hinders this part of the brain
(Mallet et al. 2015; Peterson et al., 2013). There aren’t as many cases of Tourette’s because the
disorder is very hard to diagnose and goes through a very long process to rule out possible
disorders and mental illness before the initial diagnosis is made. Some mistakes are made and the
diagnosis is made of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or Obsessive-compulsive
disorder (OCD). Many people are misdiagnosed when having Tourettes so there is an aptitude of
testing and doctors that need to be done and seen.

4. TOURETTE'S SYNDROME 4
Tourette's Syndrome has the ability to hinder the Basal Ganglia so there's random
movements or tics, and also the ability to make different sounds out of nowhere but it can also
affect sleep. Sleep isn't affected much in children with Tourette's, but for adults, there have been
cases reported of such (Eric A. Storch et al., 2009). Different test over time with Tourette
patients have been done to determine if there is a link with memory defect and learning. A study
was done by, Shelley Channon, Polly Pratt, and Mary M. Robertson, had patients ranging in age
who had Tourettes perform a test to see if there was a connection. The study concluded that “
There was no evidence of impairment associated with TS in implicit aspects of memory and
learning” (Channon et al., 2006). This shows that Tourette's doesn't affect memory or learning
and any cases of that shown were most likely because of another underlying mental illness like
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Another study done by them helps to show that the temporal lobe, which is where the brain
stores memories, is unaffected by using patients with Tourettes and visual aids. The study
concluded the same as the other that there was no link with Tourettes and memory.

5. TOURETTE'S SYNDROME 5
Tourettes has no specific causes and continues to baffles people on how someone could
suddenly obtain such a disorder. Tourettes is not hereditary so looking into the family's medical
history couldn't help. Most Tourettes appears in childhood and continues on in life with them as
there is also no cure. The exact age group would be Piaget's preoperational stage, which ranges
from ages two to seven. Since this starts so early on in childhood, children are bullies for the
uncontrollable tics and tend to suffer from more harmful mental illnesses like depression. Many
people with Tourettes are bullied at young ages and it carries into adulthood which leads to
depression and in extreme cases suicide. Bullying and harassment show up in the workplace
rather than the school years of the younger people who have Tourettes. It makes it harder to get
certain jobs and makes the person with Tourettes feel unwanted when they obtain one. Shady,
Gary et, al. say, “persons with TS may be stigmatized or ridiculed in the work setting due to their
motor or vocal tics.” which shows that many are treated poorly in the workforce for something
they can’t control. There is not an easy way for people to cope with working with someone who
has Tourette syndrome, but those with Tourettes have found ways to make it more bearable
(Shady, Gary et, al. 1995). Most people with Tourettes tend to live happy lives and some grow to
even embrace their disorder and see it as a gift rather than anything else. It's still hard to live with
but they make it work for them which leads to a better life in the end.

6. TOURETTE'S SYNDROME 6
Though there is no cure for Tourettes Syndrome there are many different ways to help a
person with it manage their tics and social life better. There's also some test that helps determine
if the prognosis is actually Tourettes or another disorder. One test that could be started would be
the Rorschach test, it would help whoever was giving the test determine the type of personality
of the patient and later rule out possible diagnoses. Some treatments that could help are Classical
conditioning, group therapy and physical therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and in extreme
cases medications that will help reduce some of the symptoms for the person affected. Classical
conditioning pairs two things together that will lead to a good or bad response. For example, a
dog heading a bell and knowing it’s time to eat and then hearing a knock that knows it's not time
to eat. By using classical condition with a Tourette’s patient it will essentially trick the brain to
undo the tick when it hears a certain noise or a certain movement with verbal tics. A study was
done that used a form of Classical conditioning and the end results showed a decrease in tics in
participating with Tourettes (Kennedy et al., 2016). Group and Physical therapy can also help by
having the person affected with Tourettes be with others that also have Tourettes feel more
comfortable with the disorder and give them higher self-esteem, as well as giving the people they
will be comfortable to talk to. CBT or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is essentially “talk therapy”
and help with verbal tics. It would help the person with better problem solving and make them
more comfortable with their disorder. Medications should try to be avoided and are usually not
used because of the wide arrange of therapies that have a better result for improvement with the
tics the person might be experiencing and the side effects tend to be worse than the actual
condition its suppose to be treating. helps to reduce them. The person could also create a
Hierarchy of Need for themselves to look at the important things and life and reduce stress
inhibitors in their lives. For example, one could be that they need to have better self-esteem, find

7. TOURETTE'S SYNDROME 7
new friends, get the treatment done, and to find a new activity to free their mind. Finding stress
relief is a big part of treatment because if stress builds up it can lead to depression and later
suicide. Some good forms of stress reliefs could be music, reading, exercising and breathing
exercises. With so many stress relievers there should be no stress within the patient because they
should have an outlet to the problem. Any treatment is better than no treatment but Tourette's
doesn't have to come to a treatment plan.
There are so many different treatments the better option for treatment would be the form
of Classical conditioning that Kennedy and his team researched and group therapy. By having
options to treat this disorder it should help with the other serious mental illness that the person
effect could develop, like depression. It would also make it easier for the person to obtain and
keep a job that they would be comfortable with so that they don't have to be bullied and have a
more normal life. In most cases with Tourettes, it does not need to get the treatment done if the
disorder is not a bother, like a loud vocal tic or a painful physical tic, and most continue their
lives without treatment. The most treatment some do is a group because it gives them a chance to
meet people like themselves. Since Tourettes is not a dangerous disorder its more than ok to be
left alone and do not have any treatment done even though there are many cases of treatment
helping with both verbal and physical tics.

8. TOURETTE'S SYNDROME 8
Mental health is most important when Tourettes is present because of the constant
bullying and being outcasted by peers. Group should be considered if no other treatment is going
to be sought out. By having a wide range of treatment options for the person affected it will be a
release from stress from both the person and the parent considering this disorder appears in early
childhood. Mental health is not something people usually think about when it comes to Tourettes
because there is too much focus on the tics rather than the person themselves. The person's whole
life changes when the develop Tourettes and since it happens early in childhood it's important to
take in how it will affect schooling and social life. They should try to live a normal life as much
as possible.
Over time there has been more information added to the ever-growing research but there
is still a lot to uncover. For example, EEGs are currently being looked into for treatment options
for those affected by Tourette's because it does give a better insight to the brain during tics but it
is still left with very little evidence that it helps for a treatment plan. There's also the black hole
of the cause of the disorder. It's an extremely hard thing to pinpoint because of the odd nature of
its sudden appearance in early childhood.

9. TOURETTE'S SYNDROME 9
In conclusion, Tourettes is far from a dangouses disorder and should not be treated as
such. People affected by the disorder tend to develop it in early childhood and not later in life.
It's not hereditary and currently there happens to be no main cause though there are some
theories as to why some children get it earlier than others. There are many treatment options for
Tourettes and some should be taken into consideration because of the mental health of the one
affected. The mental health is important because of bullying that they won't be able to escape
because they will also experience it in the workforce. All in all tourettes is not a terrible disorder
but what comes with the tics is not very pleasant and needs to be taken into serious consideration
when looking into treatment.

10. TOURETTE'S SYNDROME 10
References
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learning in Tourette's syndrome.”; Neuropsychology, Vol 17(2), Apr, 2003 pp. 247-254.
Publisher: American Psychological Association; (Chapter four: Sensation and Perspective)
Channon, Shelley; Drury, Helena; Martinos, Marina; Robertson, Mary M.; Orth, Mike;
Crawford, Sarah;“Tourette’s Syndrome (TS): Inhibitory Performance in Adults With
Uncomplicated” Neuropsychology, Vol 23(3), May, 2009 pp. 359-366. Publisher: American
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